UK Man Jailed for Stabbing Ex’s Boyfriend While Wearing Bunny Costume

A gay British man was sentenced Wednesday to nearly nine years in jail after admitting to dressing up in a rabbit costume and stabbing his ex-boyfriend's new lover in the neck and hip last year, the U.K. newspaper the Mirror reports.

Mark Pritchard, a 46-year-old care worker, admitted to going to the home of his former boyfriend, Lee Corbin, in Bristol, England, on Oct. 3, 2013, while wearing a rabbit's head costume and holding roses and love letters. He was able to get into Corbin's home by lying and saying he was a "romantic gift" for Corbin's new boyfriend, Martin Williams.

Pritchard apparently even tricked Williams to put on a blindfold and told him to wait in bed for "some treasure." He then tried to knock him out with a handkerchief doused in chloroform, but during the struggled, Pritchard's bunny head was kicked off and he began to stab Williams.

"The defendant arrived at the house wearing all black and a large rabbit head and was carrying roses and other gifts," prosecutor Giles Nelson said during the Bristol Crown Court hearing. "His attempts at persuading Mr. Williams he was a romantic gift send by his partner were very convincing and he followed the instructions given in the letters by Mr. Pritchard."

Nelson went on to say Williams "suffered two stab wounds to the hip and one to the neck." According to the prosecutor, Pritchard then carried Williams downstairs into the living room. The victim pleaded for help, saying he would die without aide, Nelson said.

"Pritchard fled the scene after giving Mr. Williams towels to hold against his wounds," he added. "Mr. Pritchard was found my police the same day and a number of receipts were found in his car, for items including roses and costume hire."

During the incident, Corbin even sent Williams a text, ending their relationship in order to pacify Pritchard.

Besides the two stab wounds, Williams also suffered a number of defensive injuries.

Judge Lord Justice Ford, who said Pritchard attacked in "a jealous rage," sentenced him to eight-years and eight-months in prison.

"This was done in jealous rage but it wasn't spontaneous - it had been planned," Ford told Pritchard. "I take into account that you are a man of 46-years-old with no prior convictions, but this is a case that shows signs of premeditation. It seems to me that the aggravating features of this case significantly outweigh the mitigating ones."

The judge added, had Pritchard pleaded not guilty to the attack, he would have sentence him to 13 years "but I will reduce this by a third for your early guilty plea."

Pritchard pleaded to a charge of wounding with intent to cause serious bodily harm.

Comments

Add your comment here:

Comments on Facebook

Related Stories

A teenager on Christmas break in the UK reportedly stabbed his mother, then cut off his penis while allegedly high on the party drug meow meow, otherwise known as mephedrone, a synthetic, amphetamine-like stimulant.